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Have you ever heard about the IPX7 rating? Have you ever found it on the back of your headphone or speaker box but you didn't know what it stands for? Well, if this is the case, we advise you to read this article and find out why it’s so important. Even if you have some basic knowledge about IP ratings, stay with us and you might be able to find some interesting information you haven’t heard before. Many products today have some kind of IP protection and the level of that protection depends on the item’s purpose. However, this article focuses only on the IP protection of electronic devices in order to explain to the users why it’s so important and how to handle IPX7 devices properly. So, let’s get started. What Does IP Stand For and Do We Really Need It? If you’ve been reading your de

Noise is an omnipresent occupational hazard. So many workers, especially industry and construction workers all over the US, are exposed to excessive noise levels. Long-term exposure to these noise levels can cause hearing loss but can also affect human health in other ways. That’s why it’s so important to limit the exposure to excessive noise or, if that’s not possible, to use a hearing protection device (HPD). The market is flooded with all kinds of hearing protection earmuffs and earplugs, but which one should you choose?  The most important characteristic you should be looking for when choosing a hearing protection device is the device’s noise reduction rating (NRR). In layman’s terms, noise reduction rating describes the ability of a certain HPD to attenuate noise. However, there’s

Finding the right speaker wire for your speaker system seems easy. You just have to find the wire that’s thick enough to fit the speaker terminals, right? Well, not exactly. There’s a little bit more to speaker wire than you may think. But don’t worry - it’s not too complicated. We are here today to tell you everything you need to know about speaker wire. We will discuss the gauges, wire materials, important electrical characteristics, installation process, and tell you about some tricks and marketing gimmicks the manufacturers use to sell their wire. Let’s go! What is Speaker Wire? Speaker wire is a cable used to connect amplifiers to speakers. This cable sends amplified audio to the speakers. It has a core, which is usually made of copper and can be either stranded or solid and a

Whenever looking for waterproof or water-resistant equipment, whether it's audio equipment (headphones, speakers) or any kind of electrical/electronic equipment, the most important thing to look for and the thing that can actually tell you the level of water resistance is the IPX rating. In our previous articles, we dealt with IPX ratings in general as well as IPX4 (splash-proof) and IPX7 (waterproof). Today we’re going to discuss the meaning and importance of an IPX8 waterproof rating.  IP/IPX Ratings – The Basics IP stands for Ingress Protection (also referred to as International Protection). It is an internationally standardized rating that describes the level of protection against the ingress of solid particles, dust, and water. An IP rating has a general form that you can see

If you are looking to buy an outdoor speaker or sports headphones/earbuds and you did your research, you have probably seen some IPX rating in the specification list or on the box of the device you want to buy. Most of today’s outdoor speakers and sports headphones/earbuds have at least IPX4 rating and some even have IPX7 or IP67 ratings. In case you are not sure what those ratings actually mean, this short article will help you understand the purpose and meaning of each IP/IPX rating. What is IPX Rating and Why is it Important? IP stands for International Protection or, in some cases, Ingress Protection. IP (or IPX) rating is the marking that describes the level of protection (provided by the enclosure of the device) against dust, water, and ingress of other particles or fluids. You

Coaxial cables are quite common these days, and you can find them in every home. They are used for the transmission of audio and video signals, for TV antennas, modems, cable boxes, and they can even be used as speaker cables. If you want to learn more about coax cables, you've come to the right place. In this article, we will give you an in-depth analysis of the physical and electrical characteristics of coaxial cables, talk about different types of coax cables, and list various use scenarios. We will also discuss the idea of using coaxial cables as speaker wire and analyze the pros and cons of coax speaker cables. What is Coaxial Cable? Coax cable is a type of electrical cable that can transmit RF signals from source devices to input/destination devices. The radiofrequency range ...

To some people, looking for the matching amp for their stereo speaker system and trying to achieve the best possible synergy, is an adventure. They love doing it, they love trying different combinations, and they enjoy every moment of that journey. To others, it’s just too confusing and annoying. They don’t know what to look for, what’s acceptable and what’s not, what specs are important, and what all those specs even mean. Our article is here to answer not only the question from the title but also all the other questions related to amp/speaker matching. Even if you don’t have any relevant knowledge about audio equipment, you don’t have to worry. After reading our short guide, you will know exactly what to look for. Let’s start with the basic terminology and most important specif

You've just bought a brand-new 4K TV, and you want to enjoy some 4K content, but your AV receiver is almost 10 years old and doesn’t support 4K pass-through. What to do? Should you buy a new 4K receiver, or is there some workaround that can help you save money and still enjoy 4K content on your new TV? Is there a win-win solution that doesn't cost much? That's exactly what you are going to find out if you keep reading this article. We’ll start with some basic explanations and then offer you a few solutions for different scenarios. If you just want a short answer, scroll down to the last section before the conclusion. Terminology Explained Even though it sounds like you’ve said everything when you say 4K UHD TV, there’s so much more to 4K-ready equipment than you can imagine. With toda